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International Food Protection Training Institute (IFPTI) and NOAA's Fisheries Service will provide seafood sensory training at the National Seafood Inspection Lab in Pascagoula, MS on June 3 and 4. The program will provide hands-on training with actual seafood products to develop skills in sensory detection for taint in seafood exposed to oil in the Gulf of Mexico. Food safety professionals from all 5 Gulf states will be attending the 2-day program.

Pascagoula, MS (PRWEB)June 1, 2010

International Food Protection Training Institute (IFPTI) and NOAA's Fisheries Service will provide seafood sensory training at the National Seafood Inspection Lab in Pascagoula, MS on June 3 and 4. The program will provide hands-on training with actual seafood products to develop skills in sensory detection for taint in seafood exposed to oil in the Gulf of Mexico. Food safety professionals from all 5 Gulf states will be attending the 2-day program.

Members of the media are invited to observe demonstrations of the training and conduct interviews.

Seafood and food safety experts from IFPTI and NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service as well as students will be available for interviews including:
· Gerald Wojtala, Executive Director, IFPTI
· Dr. Lisa Desfosse, Lab Director, NOAA's Fisheries Service
· Dr. Nancy Thompson, Science and Research Director, NOAA

About IFPTI
The International Food Protection Training Institute (IFPTI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization delivering career-spanning food protection training for state and local food protection professionals to assure competency and equivalency in meeting established U.S. federal food safety standards. Working in partnership with the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO), the Institute seeks to protect the public's health by working with federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial food protection officials in the creation of an integrated national food protection system that ensures the safety of the U.S. food supply. Initial funding for IFPTI has been provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. For more information, visit http://www.ifpti.org.

About NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association's Fisheries Service is the federal agency, a division of the Department of Commerce, responsible for the stewardship of the nation's living marine resources and their habitat. NOAA's Fisheries Service is responsible for the management, conservation and protection of living marine resources within the United States' Exclusive Economic Zone (water three to 200
mile offshore).

Using the tools provided by the Magnuson-Stevens Act, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service assesses and predicts the status of fishstocks, ensures compliance with fisheries regulations and works to reduce wasteful fishing practices. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service recovers protected marine species (i.e. whales, turtles) without unnecessarily impeding economic and recreational opportunities.

With the help of the six regional offices and eight councils, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service is able to work with communities on fishery management issues. NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service works to promote sustainable fisheries and to prevent lost economic potential associated with overfishing, declining species and degraded habitats. NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service strives to balance competing public needs. For more information, visit http://www.noaa.gov.